1) When did Springer start its open access books program?

SpringerOpen was launched in June 2010, initially for journals. We helped to pioneer open access book publishing, first piloting open access publication for books in 2011, due to the growing demand for open access and the success of our SpringerOpen journals. In August 2012 we officially launched our open access books program.

2) What is open access?

Open access refers to immediate, free and unrestricted online access to research outputs such as journal articles and books. This means that the content is open to all, with no embargo period or reading fees, and sharing and re-use of the work is permitted.

4) Why is SpringerOpen the best choice for my book?

SpringerOpen publishes open access books and chapters across a wide range of academic fields within science, technology, medicine, the humanities and social sciences. In addition to the benefits of publishing an open access book mentioned here, we have a flexible offering to suit all needs.

- Leaders in open access book publishing

One of the reasons we’re able to offer such innovative and comprehensive support for our open access book authors is because we have been at the forefront of open access books publishing. We were one of the first major publishers to launch an OA book program, back in August 2012.

- High quality standards

Our open access ebooks adhere to the same high-level quality peer-review, production and publishing processes followed for non-open access books published by Springer.

MySpringer for authors allows you to track the progress of your book in the publication process, as well as download your book performance report.

Bookmetrix is a unique platform that Springer Nature developed in partnership with Altmetric. It gives authors a comprehensive overview of the reach, usage and readership of their book or chapter by providing various book-level and chapter-level metrics all in one place. You can see how many downloads, citations and social shares your book has received.

5) What are my rights? What licensing is used?

SpringerOpen books and chapters are published under a CC BY license (Creative Commons Attribution v4.0 International License). The CC BY license is the most open license available and considered the industry 'gold standard' for open access; it is also preferred by many funders. This license allows readers to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and to alter, transform, or build upon the material, including for commercial use, providing the original author is credited.

Other Creative Commons licenses are available on request: please contact your editor to discuss this. However, before requesting an alternative license you are advised to check your funder's requirements, to ensure compliance.

6) What does the open access publication charge cover?

A book or chapter processing charge (BPC/CPC) covers all the costs of commissioning, copyediting and proofreading, production, dissemination and promotion of our authors’ work, including online hosting and indexing.

Open access titles receive the same high quality service and production standards as our non-open access titles.

The charge also reflects our use of the CC BY license (Creative Commons Attribution v4.0 International License) as the default for our open access books. The CC BY license means that we may not make any further revenues from the title.

7) How much does it cost?

Book processing charges (BPCs) start from a flat-rate fee of €5,000 for short-form works (‘SpringerBriefs’ with 50 to 125 pages). BPC rates for full-length works are dependent on several factors including length and text type – please get in touch with us to find out more. Individual open access chapters in non-open access books (‘hybrid’ books) carry a chapter processing charge (CPC) of €2,200 per chapter. BPCs/CPCs may be subject to local VAT or sales tax rates.

8) My institution participates in the open access membership program. Do I benefit from this membership when publishing a SpringerOpen book?

Yes, you do benefit from your institution's open access membership. If your institution is a member, you will receive a 15% loyalty discount on the publication fee, regardless of the type of membership.